


Insanity of Betrayal

by CyreneHime



Category: Bleach
Genre: BAMF Ichigo, BAMF Nelliel, Betrayal, Hollowfication, Invade Hueco Mundo Arc divergence, OP!Ichigo, Sad, relationships to be decided
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-05
Updated: 2020-06-22
Packaged: 2021-03-01 01:35:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 13
Words: 12,972
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23486920
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CyreneHime/pseuds/CyreneHime
Summary: "You think five years isn't enough time to change your personality?Well think again.It just takes something small, and then the very people you helped climb the ladder will step on your fingers, letting you fall down.And the higher you climbed with them, the further you fall, the harder you land and the longer you have to curse them for watching you fall, and not helping you back up, like you had done so many times before for them."or,Ichigo gets stabbed in the back and ends up in Huaco Mundo, seriously pissed off.
Comments: 9
Kudos: 102





	1. Through the Gate

**Author's Note:**

> This is transferred from my Wattpad account, @Fangirlhime, although I might end up changing the ending so it's different from the Wattpad one bc it wasn't a very satisfying ending.

Ichigo watched as Chad and Uryu walked through the gate to Hueco Mundo.

"Well, Ichigo," Urahara Kisuke said, looking down to the orange-haired youth. "You gonna go or what?"

"... There's something I need to do first. I have a request of you. Hang on," from out of his pocket, Ichigo grabbed a small marble. To those who knew better- it was a soul candy. To the three eavesdroppers behind the rock, it was a choking hazard.

They barely managed to hold Tatsuki back as he swallowed it. Immediately, Ichigo's soul separated from his body, Kon taking his place.

"Hey! A little more warning before you swap souls would be nice!" Kon, who was now in Ichigo's body, complained.

Ichigo gave Kon a death glare. "Now you listen here, you little-!" He took a few deep breaths before continuing. "Kon, remember your orders. You can explain them to Hats n' Clogs, but I swear, if you put one toe out of line, I will have you replaced." He pulled out a handful of similar marbles, to prove it wasn't an empty threat. "The only reason you're getting a chance is for old time's sake."

Kon nodded. "Yeah, yeah." he said dismissively.

"Kisuke," Ichigo tossed one of the soul candies up to the man. "If Kon does anything that makes anyone suspicious, wipe their memories and trade the souls, please."

Kisuke caught the marble, an eyebrow raised. "Why, Ichigo, it sounds like you don't plan on coming back!" His voice was heavy with fake surprise.

"Well you catch on fast." Ichigo said dryly. "I guess I don't plan on returning- at least not anytime soon."

"May I inquire why?"

Ichigo gave Kisuke a flat look. "You, of all people should know."

Urahara opened his fan in front of his face. "I'm afraid I don't know, would you mind enlightening me?" he said. But everyone in the room could tell it was a lie. He just wanted Ichigo to admit it.

"These... Abilities." Ichigo said reluctantly. "Ever since I became a Soul Reaper, they've just gotten stronger. I've trained with the other Vizards, but my control is still weak. I'm a danger to everyone around me. At least in Hueco Mundo, the only thing I'll be able to hurt is myself and the Hollows. So I'm going to stay there until I have mastered my abilities."

Kisuke's expression was one of interest- as if observing an experiment that went wrong, yet seemed to produce a noteworthy result.

"Very well. I will keep watch over Kon, and Karakura Town while you are gone. Once you get the hang of it, try sending Shiro-Ichigo as a messenger."

Ichigo squinted at Urahara. "...Ok. Watch over my family, would ya? And make sure my friends don't die."

"Don't worry about them, they'll be fine! I'll make sure of it."

Ichigo looked at him suspiciously, then said, "I'll leave it up to you." before jumping through the portal.

Dead silence.

Urahara let out a sigh. "Come out, I know you're there, friends of Ichigo."

Tatsuki, Keigo, and Mizuiro came out from behind the rock.

"What was Ichigo talking about? Where did he go? Why is he leaving? And WHAT IS IN HIS BODY?!" Tatsuki demanded.

Urahara nodded. "I see... so you all could see what transpired here?"

The three nodded.

"That is interesting... You see, most normal humans can't see Soul Reapers; or souls, for that matter. You three have really high spiritual power. For a human, of course. Before you say anything- yes, Ichigo is human, for the most part, as are your friends Chad and Orihime. They have high spiritual power, much like you do.

"Ichigo, as you probably know, has been able to see ghosts since he was very young. This was because of his high spiritual power. It wasn't a big deal until recently, though. When Rukia Kuchiki gave him Shinigami powers.

"In her weakened state, Ichigo had to take over her responsibilities as the town's Soul Reaper. He became a Substitute Soul Reaper. Then, naturally, the Soul Society found out, and they weren't happy. They ordered Rukia's execution, and stripped Ichigo of his Shinigami powers.

"He came to me in hopes of saving her, believing that it was completely his fault that she was in the situation. I put him through a challenge that awakened his own dormant powers. Of course, his awakened powers had an affect on the people around him. Others with strong spiritual energy gained their own abilities, too.

"They, that being, Chad, Orihime, and Uryu, trained so they could help Ichigo rescue Rukia. And they succeeded. However, an unseen problem rose to the surface soon after they entered the soul society. Ichigo had a strange ability, completely separate from his Shinigami powers. He had what is called 'Hollowification.' Generally, hollowification is when a Shinigami uses hollow powers to become more powerful. Ichigo had no choice in it. It was a part of him, and he could either be consumed by it, or tame it.

"I sent him to a group of... friends... who helped him gain control. Unfortunately, his inner hollow seems to be trying to take over. So, I gather that he is going to stay in Hueco Mundo until he can suppress it."

The information overload took a while to process in the three teen's minds.

"Honestly," Kisuke said, "There isn't anything you can do once that boy has set his mind to something. So, I'm sorry to say, that you can't do anything. And it would be very troublesome if you remembered... so... I do apologize for this, but would you look here for a second?"

The memory wiper flashed, and the high schoolers passed out.


	2. In Which Ichigo is a Bit of an Idiot

Meanwhile...

Chad and Uryu land in Hueco Mundo. Ichigo was nowhere in sight.

A few minutes later....

Ichigo jumped out of the hole in the sky.

"Ichigo!" Uryu hissed. "What took you so long?!"

"Sorry, Uryu, Chad, I had to ask Kisuke a favor." the orange haired newcomer said nonchalantly. 

"Whatever. Let's go!"

And they were off.

Not too much later, they ran into a bunch of hollows. A little green-haired girl being chased by a stick, clown, and giant worm hollow.

Naturally, Ichigo's protective streak convinced him to attempt to rescue the human-looking girl from her pursuers. 

After 'saving' her, the hollows explained that they were playing a game of tag, not actually hunting Nel, the little green haired girl.

"You're... an arrancar?" Ichigo had a hard time believing his ears. "You don't look like the arrancars that went to the world of the living..."

"You have some nerve telling us we don't look like arrancars when you look even less like arrancars than we do!" Nel retorted in a squeaky voice, "you don't have a mask, and you dress in a black kimono. You look more like a... a soul reaper!" Nel gasped in realization. "You're a soul reaper?! There was a warning about intruders... We have to tell the Espada!"

Crap. 

"Hahaha," Ichigo laughed nervously. "What'd ya mean? I got a mask right here, see?" He bent down so his face was, hopefully, out of Uryu and Chad's sight range. He quickly summoned the Vizard mask. "See?" he cringed internally at his voice. He still wasn't used to the high pitched echoey ness of it.

"I can promise you that we aren't going to hurt you. Can you get us to Las Noches?"

Nel nodded. "Yeah, the castle is over th-"

A whirring sound allerted Ichigo, and he grabbed Nel, jumping to the side. 

And just in time.

The retractable blade that belonged to a certain pineapple lodged itself right where they were.

Crap!

He focused, letting the mask crumble to dust, before looking up.

Rukia and Renji stood on a sand dune nearby, swords at the ready.

"Hey! You almost hit us!" Ichigo yelled at the red headed offender.

They slid down the dune. Rukia squinted up at Ichigo. "...I swear... I thought I saw...? It was a holl-"

"Well, what are you guys doing here?" Ichigo cut her off loudly, pleading with his eyes not to question what she had seen. Not now, at least.

She sheathed her sword, rather hesitant, before answering. _Fine,_ her expression said. _You'd sure as heck better explain._ But verbally, she replied, "We're here to help you save Orihime, of course."

To say the trio was surprised would be an understatement.

"! But I thought you were-?"

"Forbidden? And since when do we listen to the rules?" Renji refuted.

"Touche,"

"Anyways, Ichigo, what was that? I swear I sa-"

"WELL," Ichigo bit him off, "We know where Orihime is. She should be at Las Noches, and Nel and her friends can get us there, right, Nel?"

The green haired arrancar, who had climbed onto Ichigo's back, reminding everyone of the pink haired lieutenant of Captain Zaraki, nodded.

"Nel trusts Itsygo, so Nel will help Itsygo! Bala Bala, we're going to Las Noches!"

They boarded the giant worm-like hollow, and it took off, the three hollow siblings sitting at the front to guide.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!!


	3. A Mask Revealed

Lower on the back of Bala Bala, there was a very awkward silence. 

“Sooo… Ichigo...” Renji started. “Care to explain?”

“E-explain what, exactly?” Ichigo stalled, with a nervous laugh.

“We know what we saw, Ichigo,” Rukia stated. “It doesn’t take much to be able to recognize a hollow mask when we see one. How did you get it, and why? And don’t bother saying it was an illusion, or a figment of our imagination. It was very much real.”

“... Fine.” He avoided eye contact as much as possible as he explained. “I guess it’s…” He played with different phrases in his mind, trying to put together something that would make them look at him in a less accusing way.

“You could call it… a side effect, I think.” He mused.

“Side effect?”

Ichigo nodded. “Yeah, so when Rukia was taken to be executed, and Byakuya almost killed me, Urahara patched me up, and trained me to get my Shinigami powers back. And, well, you know Kisuke, practically everything he does is dangerous, illegal, or both. So, in order to regain my abilities as a Soul Reaper, he sliced up my soul chain, and chucked me into a pit.  
"Supposedly, if I could access my powers in under 72 hours, I would become a Soul Reaper again. If not, my soul chain would eat itself and turn me into a hollow.  
“Being as thick as I was, I was almost dead by the time I got a hold of Zangetsu. Kisuke said it’s a side effect from being almost transformed into a hollow.”

The silence was unbearable. Ichigo became rather fascinated with the bindings of Zangetsu.

Uryu broke the silence. “Well, what are the side effects, exactly?”

Ichigo winced at the tone of his voice, trying to hunch up to make himself as small as possible.

“Mostly... just mask...and… power boost...” He muttered to himself, barely audible to the others.

Renji raised an eyebrow. “You know, we can’t hear you when you mumble.”

“...kinda the point...”

The red pineapple glared at the sassy orange head.

“Well? Speak up, Ichigo.” Uryu said.

“I’d rather not...”

“Well, when traveling with an unknown variable, it’s hard to predict- I can’t calculate- gah, I’m sure we’d all want to know what we’re getting into-”

A flash of rage passed Ichigo’s features. “Great,” he drawled, “Now I’m just a variable? You know? Screw this, speculate all you want, I’m not talking.” With that, he got up- a very dangerous thing to do on a moving vehicle with nothing to steady him- don’t try this at home, kids- and used flash step to get to the head, where Nel and the others were.

Rukia punched Uryu in the arm.

“Ow! What was that for?!” the Quincy demanded.

“He was obviously uncomfortable, why’d you press the issue?”

“Well I’d like to know what he’s capable of, we don’t know what side effects this could include! He could turn into a hollow in the middle of the night and eat us in our sleep!”

“As much as I hate to admit it, Four Eyes has a point,” Renji pointed out- resulting in a fist to the face from Rukia.

“You idiots!” She grumbled.

Ichigo flinched at each comment. Even though he was as far as he could get from them, his so called ‘comrades’ comments hit him hard. Even Rukia couldn’t convince them that he wouldn’t rip their throats when they slept.

Of course, Uryu wouldn’t change his mind. His stubborn Quincy personality would make him constantly fight against Ichigo. Chad was his best friend, but even he could have his limits to how far he would stretch his hand of friendship. He and Renji butted heads a lot, but he would do anything to keep Rukia out of harm, even if it meant to isolate her from the harshness of the world. And Rukia… would she ever stoop so low as to accept the very thing she killed on a day to day basis?

Ichigo snorted to himself. _No,_ he thought, depressed. _I was a fool when I thought I could sneak this past them. They won’t accept a disgraceful creature like me. I should just leave..._

Shiro Ichigo whispered into his ear.

**Soul Reapers don’t change. They never will. They will fight alongside you while you are useful, then cast you aside when they deem you an enemy. They don't understand you. And they never will…**

Ichigo shook his head, trying to clear his mind. _No_ , he thought firmly, _I’m sure they’ll accept me. Maybe…_

Not too long later, Bala Bala ran into the Sand Guardian. Even with Rukia’s icey zanpakuto, they were sucked down into the Menos Forest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!! 
> 
> I'll have the next chapter out tomorrow
> 
> :D


	4. Aaaaaaaaaaand.... They're Gone.

Ichigo coughed as he landed on a branch, knocking the wind out of him.

Everyone else landed on the ground, except Nel, who had, somehow, clung to Ichigo.

Barely grasping consciousness, he tried to give them a sign that he was above them.

But when their panicked conversations reached his ears, he stopped.

"Is everyone ok?" Rukia asked.

Groans came from everyone.

"Where's Ichigo? And Nel?"

"Did they get separated in the fall?"

"We need to find them!"

"Wait!" Uryu caught everyone's attention. "We need to focus on getting out of here first, if we go off to find them, we'll just get lost, and then we'll never escape!"

"We can't just leave them!"

"They'll be fine, Ichigo's a Shinigami, isn't he? He can take care of himself. And whatever 'ability' he has will help him blend in with the rest of the hollows. And I'd bet that Nel is with Ichigo, so she's probably better off than us."

Murmurs of agreement filled the air.

"But-!"

"Rukia!" Renji cut her off. "We know that Ichigo can take care of himself, we need to make sure we are ok, then we can find a way out, and then we will meet up with him. He's probably already started searching for an exit without us, anyways. We'll run into him eventually."

Outnumbered and overruled, Rukia reluctantly submitted.

They moved out, leaving their two companions behind.

Tears stung the back of Ichigo's eyes. _So that's what they think of me..._ he thought sadly. _A burden, and a liability._

Renji and Uryu's words echoed in his mind. _Whatever 'ability' he has will help him blend in with the rest of the hollows... He's probably already started searching for an exit without us, anyways... we'll run into him eventually... he can take care of himself... we need to focus on getting out of here first... if we go off to find him, we'll just get lost, and then we'll never escape!_

"Itsygo?" Nel interrupted his downgrading thoughts.

Mustering up the strength to pull himself upright, he leaned against the trunk of the tree for support. "Yea, Nel?" He answered hoarsely.

"Where... are we...? Where's... Nel's friends...?"

The innocent questions crushed Ichigo's shattered heart. He couldn't bring himself to tell her that they had abandoned them.

"We fell down the hole, and got seperated," Ichigo said, flinching guiltily at the white lie. "Don't worry, we'll find them... eventually. Until then, let's focus on getting stronger so we can get out of here."

The child swallowed the lie, falling asleep in Ichigo's arms.

_I swear,_ he vowed. _Nel will never have to know the feeling of being abandoned by the ones she trusted. I will never betray her._

_Unlike them._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :) sorry i posted kinda late, but I hope you enjoyed reading!  
> Next chapter will be out with tomorrow or the day after


	5. Abandoned

_Whatever 'ability' he has will help him blend in with the rest of the hollows... He's probably already started searching for an exit without us, anyways... we'll run into him eventually... he can take care of himself... we need to focus on getting out of here first... if we go off to find him, we'll just get lost, and then we'll never escape!_

_"Itsygo?" Nel interrupted his downgrading thoughts._

_Mustering up the strength to pull himself upright, he leaned against the trunk of the tree for support. "Yea, Nel?" He answered hoarsely._

_"Where... are we...? Where's... Nel's friends...?"_

_The innocent questions crushed Ichigo's shattered heart. He couldn't bring himself to tell her that they had abandoned them._

_"We fell down the hole, and got seperated," Ichigo said, flinching guiltily at the white lie. "Don't worry, we'll find them... eventually. Until then, let's focus on getting stronger so we can get out of here."_

_The child swallowed the lie, falling asleep in Ichigo's arms._

_I swear, he vowed. Nel will never have to know the feeling of being abandoned by the ones she trusted. I will never betray her._

_Unlike them._

*  
***  
*

The duo rested up, then left.

Several weeks later...

After a long couple of weeks of training, surviving, and killing hollows, Ichigo and Nel grew immensely.

With a lot of trial and error, Ichigo was able to partially seal the crack in Nel's skull mask, resulting in an explosive growth in form and spiritual energy. Now, she looked like a 14-15 year old teenager, with a chin length bob of mint hair.

Ichigo had almost mastered his hollowification, and was able to hold it for several minutes, rather than a handful of seconds. His own hair had grown longer, too. It was long enough that anyone who looked at him could tell he hadn't had a proper hair cut in a while, but short enough that he didn't look like a hobo.

Now, Nel and Ichigo's names were known throughout the Menos Forest. Some hollows cowered before them, fleeing the second their presence was made known. The more powerful hollows seeked the glory of consuming 'The Hollow Hunter' and the 'Green Haired Knight.'

But they all ran in vain, whether they ran towards their spiritual pressure, or away.

No one escaped.

*  
***  
*

"Hey, Nel!" Ichigo called to his companion. He stood on a branch, his sand colored cloak settling around him, his hollow mask formed.

"'Sup, Itsygo?" She replied, scaling the tree to the top branches, where Ichigo was.

"You ready to try and get to the surface?"

Nel grinned. "I was born ready. Let's blow this place."

After several extremely powerful Getsuga Tenshou's, and a lot of sand raining from the tree tops, they were free. And right outside Las Noches.

With relative ease, they waltzed into the palace, killing any Hollow on sight. With their combined strength, they managed to take down some of the arrancars, and even an espada.

As they were headed towards Orihime's cell, Nel stopped. 

"What is it, Nel?" Ichigo inquired.

"I can sense them... The ones who came with you..."

Ichigo hid his surprise well. He opened his senses until he could feel their spirit pressure.

"It feels like they were captured. They're probable in the dungeons."

"Should I go get them? I'll be quick, I promise!"

"No."

She looked at Ichigo quizzically.

"I'll send Shirogo, it'll be faster." He said, after a sight hesitation.

Nel nodded. "You should probably summon him now, before you lose to much energy."

"Yeah, yeah," Ichigo rolled his eyes. He concentrated, and another being started to take form.

He looked exactly like Ichigo in every way, except for his platinum hair, and snow white complexion.

And his eyes. They held none of Ichigo's liveliness, and were black eye yellow irises. Not unlike the eyes under his mask when he hollowfied.

"Shirogo." Ichigo said.

Shirogo grinned. "Y'all want me ta' go rescue your friends? Tch, I was hoping' you'd let me sleep in, King."

It took all of Ichigo's strength not too strangle the newcomer.

"Just go, already." he sighed

"You bet, King!"

With that, the double flash stepped away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stay tuned- another chapter is coming in a few minutes


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay double update!

_With Rukia and co_

Renji shook the bars of their cell again, to no avail.

"Renji, that's not going to work, you've tried it already." Uryu snapped.

"Better than sitting on my butt doing nothing! If only we could reach..." He stretched his arm, trying to grab his sword from the cell next door, but his arm was too short.

"Well, well," came a high pitched voice. "You did get captured. How long _have_ you been down here? I bet Nel twenty bucks that it's been a week or longer."

None of them could believe their eyes.

Ichigo walked into sight, still standing in the shadows.

"Ichigo!" Rukia jumped up, running to the bars of the cell. "Where have you been? I've been worried sick!"

The figure laughed. "I suppose I can't expect you to know, but, I'm _not_ Ichigo. _He_ is currently in the fifth tower with Nel, completing their mission."

"But... you look exactly like Ichigo!" Renji exclaimed.

The stranger laughed again, stepping into the light.

His white skin and hair shone in contrast to the dark walls. Even his kimono was white. But the whiteness made it look strangely evil, rather than pure. 

The Ichigo-look alike grinned maniacally. "Do I?" a carbon copy of Zangetsu rested blade up on his shoulder, giving him a crazy serial killer look. "I suppose _you_ wouldn't know, after all, only the people _closest_ to King would know, or even understand. But nah, you all abandoned him weeks ago."

"We didn't abandon him!" Renji snapped.

White-Ichigo gave them an sinister glare. "Oh?" He hissed. " _'Whatever 'ability' he has will help him blend in with the_ rest _of the hollows...', 'He's probably already started searching for an exit without us, anyways...', 'we'll run into him eventually...', 'he can take care of himself...', 'we need to focus on getting out of here first...', 'if we go off to find him, we'll just get lost, and then we'll never escape.'_ " he mimicked each voice perfectly as he spoke.

There was silence for a minute.

He walked up to the cell, wrapping his hands around the bars. "You may try to dismiss it, but we know what we heard. You didn't even look for us, and we were only a few dozen feet above you. You abandoned us, simple as that. So we got stronger.

"Now, I don't understand why, but for _some_ reason, King doesn't want all y'all to rot down here. Maybe he feels indebted to you, or maybe he wants to finish you off himself, but whatever the reason, he sent me to get y'all out"

He picked the lock on the neighboring cell, grabbing the weapons. Experimentally, he swung Zabimaru, and the sword went into shikai mode, slashing through the bars like butter.

"Sweet." he commented, leaving the inmates of the next cell gaping in surprise at the impossible feat. White Ichigo snapped, and the weapons disappeared.

"Hey!" the owners of the weapons panicked. "What'd you do?!"

White Ichigo looked at them with an excited glint in his black and yellow eyes. "Well, I can't have you attacking me on our way out." He sliced open the cell, and left, not waiting for them to follow him.

"Oh, by the way, my name is Shirogo. Do remember it, kay?"

_With Ichigo_

It didn't take much effort to reach Orihime's prison cell.

Soon, they were running from the castle, just the three of them.

Unfortunately, their good luck began to run out.

Espada number 3, Ulquara, chased after them. 

_**Yo, King! I got 'em outta there, we're 'bout a half mile from your position. Oh, and you might want to get rid of the fly that's buzz'n behind you, these four aren't in much of a condition to fight.** _

Swearing under his breath, Ichigo issued some orders. "Nel, they're here. Orihime, keep running, we're going to stall for time. You should meet up with Rukia and co in a less than a mile. Get out of here, ok? Go!"

Before Orihime could protest, Ichigo stopped, pulling Zangetsu out of its sheath. 

"Nel, you've got my back, right?"

"As always, Itsygo!"

They charged.

Even Ulquara couldn't stand against their combined force.

Tired, sweaty, and covered from head to toe in sand and blood, Ichigo and Nel ambled in Orihime's direction.

They found her with the rest of the initial rescue group, who gaped at the two of them when they came into sight.

Immediately, Orihime attacked Ichigo with a bone crushing bear hug, sobbing into his shoulder with joy. "Thank you, Ichigo-kun," it came out in a hoarse whisper. 

"You don't need to thank me, Orihime," he rasped, no longer bothered by the sound effects his mask made.

"So... How are we getting home, Ichigo-kun?" Orihime asked.

Once she released him, allowing him to breathe, he slid the mask up so it was on the side of his head, rather than covering his face.

"Shirogo, where are you?" he called out, looking for his white-haired twin.

"Right here, King." his voice drew Ichigo's attention to the top of a rock pillar, where Shirogo sat.

"Get down here, and pull up a Garganta, would ya?"

"Your word is my command." His clone teased.

Ichigo rolled his eyes.

Shirogo concentrated, focusing his energy, then whispered, "Descorrer." 

A Garganta opened up right in front of them. "After you," the white-haired clone said with a grin, motioning to the rift.

They all jumped through, landing in Urahara's basement.

"What a surprise!" Kisuke said, far from surprised, "Shirogo, I see you have improved your portal opening skills,"

"Heck, yeah, cuz I'm awesome!" Shirogo accepted the praise. "Which reminds me, do ya have the things King requested?"

Kisuke scanned the floor below him. "Speaking of which, where is Ichigo?"

"You know where he is, Urahara, don't you, like, have some weird tracking device on everyone?"

Kisuke laughed, "I'm offended! How _can_ you think so low of me?" he said, very unoffended, "I would _never_ disrespect your privacy like that!"

Shirogo rolled his eyes. "So do you have the stuff? We were expecting it last week, ya know. You're getting slow, old man."

"It was a tough request, but tell Ichigo that I got the first one done. The gi-... _that_ one, however, is a little trickier. It's going to take quite a while to add all the special features you requested. I'll send you a message when it's finished. Here's the memory stick."

Kisuke pulled a small rectangle wrapped in cloth, tossing it down to Shirogo.

Shirogo turned to enter Hueco Mundo through the unclosing Garganta.

"Wait! Shirogo!" Rukia called. "Where's Ichigo? And what does he need that thing for?"

He looked at her, with almost a pitying look. "Maybe you would understand if you knew him, short stuff. Anyway, _sayonara!_ " and with that, he jumped through the portal, it closing behind him.

"My, my, it sounds like you guys and Ichigo had a falling out!" Kisuke observed, walking up behind them.

Rukia turned to Urahara, grabbing him by the collar, and yanking his head down so he was eye level to her. "Where. Is. Ichigo?" she snarled.

It only made Kisuke grin wider. "Sorry, I can't give out any personal details about my clients."

She shoved him back in frustration. "Open another Garganta, I'm going to find him."

"Oh, that won't work, sweetheart." Kisuke was biting back a laugh. "He'll come to you when he wants to be found. You won't find him there, even if you searched for a million years. After all, 'he'll blend in with the rest of the Hollows.' Oh, and I should mention- You've all been gone for a month and a half. In that time space, 'Ichigo,' or Kon, I should call him, was run over by a car and his crystal was cracked, damaging his memories. So don't bother interrogating him, because he doesn't know anything. You might as well go back to the soul society. Report that Ichigo was supposedly killed by the espada.

"And one last thing, before you go...

"It isn't a good idea to doubt your comrades, especially when you've known them for a while. I will say this: Ichigo has had his hollow abilities since Rukia transmitted her powers to him, probably even before. And not once has he ever even tried to mortally wound any of you. It would do you well to reflect on your words and actions. Maybe then you'll understand exactly where Ichigo is, and why."

With that, the shopkeeper ushered them out of his house, locking the door behind them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :) I hope you're enjoying the story!  
> I'll get the next chapter up tomorrow, or the day after.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	7. In Which the Author is Lazy and Time Skips

_In Hueco Mundo..._

"He still isn't finished with the gigai?"

"Nope. He said it'll take a while, cuz you wanted a super fancy one. What was it that you wanted?" Shirogo started listing, "Spiritual pressure cloaking, quick reishi absorption, hyper healing, superhuman speed, strength, and agility, oh, what was that other one? You wanted it to be able to absorb your leaking spiritual energy, too, and contain it so you could use it as a backup reserve, or something."

Ichigo nodded as his clone continued. "Those wouldn't be too hard, but then you wanted it to have a switch so you could choose whether or not humans could see you! And to choose if it were invisible to souls and soul reapers, too... Isn't that taking it a bit far? I mean, I know you want to avoid them, but still!"

"Just a precaution, Shirogo."

"Whatever. Anyway, I'm going to take a nap, so don't summon me again for a while, ok?"

With that, the clone faded into nothingness, returning to his home in Ichigo's conscious.

"Come on, Nel. Let's get stronger."

The green haired teen grinned. "Then we can defeat Aizen!"

Ichigo smiled as he ruffled his companion's hair.

_A few years later..._

They were in a battlefield. The corpses of Hollows began to disappear, slowly, but surely.

The day's casualties were in the hundreds of thousands... and they were completely one sided. Ichigo and Nel, the 'Black Demon' and the 'Emerald Knight,' stretched their sore muscles.

"That was quite the workout, wasn't it, Isygo?" Nel said,smiling at her comrade. She had regained her adult form, and could fluently switch between age, although she always called him by the nickname her child self had given him, years and years ago.

"Naw, that was just a warm up!" Ichigo boasted. He too, had grown. His hair was much longer, reaching down to his waist when down. Because of this, he most often kept it up in a ponytail, not bothering to cut it., except for the bangs on one side of his face. He had cut the fringe on the left side, so his mask was more easily seen. He left the bangs covering the human half of his face be. Then he could only see with one eye, giving his enemies a advantage. After all, it didn't help him get stronger if he could defeat a hollow without any effort.

His black kimono was torn, and he wore a white cloak over it. His Zanpakuto was sheathed to his back. Luckily, Ichigo had managed to learn how to suppress his spiritual energy- it had gotten quite out of hand as his blade grew along with his energy. He could keep it down to its original size, but that was as small as he could get it, which was still rather large for an ordinary Shinigami.

Half his face was covered by his trademark hollow mask, although it, too, had evolved, looking more like a Vasto Lorde mask, a horns coming out the side, like dragon spikes. 

He could hold it for over a few months before it exhausted his energy, which was leagues better than his original eleven seconds. Now, he kept half the mask up at all times, though he wasn't sure why.

A wailing noise echoed through the Menos Forest.

The two warriors didn't have to speak to know what the other was thinking. They shunpo ed towards the group of menos grande, taking the whole family down in mere seconds.

"A good fight, eh?" Ichigo said teasingly.

"Psh, I coulda taken them in my sleep," Nel replied. "Menos are so rare nowadays, it's like they're going extinct."

"It's probably because we keep killing them before they can evolve." Ichigo informed her.

Nel snorted, "Well maybe we should go back to the surface and fight the stronger hollows."

Ichigo looked up at the canopy of dead tree branches above them. After returning Orihime to the human world, they had gone down into the Menos forest to train against the multitudes of hollows down there. Now, it seemed like they had killed off all of the worthy opponents. Apart from an occasional herd of menos, the forest was empty.

"OK. Tomorrow, we'll go to the surface." he said, pushing the bangs out of his eyes so he could see with his human eye, rather than his hollow eye. "Then we'll see if Aizen has made his move."

_In the Soul Society_

It was a quiet day. Just like the past few years had been. They had prepared for the winter battle, only to be met with silence for 5 years.

That only made everyone more on edge. What had happened to their foe? Was the battle a bluff? Did his army break apart? Had he been killed?

No one knew.

It seemed like Aizen had been defeated; there were less frequent hollow attacks, most of them were the small ones that even a rookie soul reaper could take care of.

But there was something with these hollows... Rukia wasn't sure, but the last time she went to the human world, to check on the Kurosaki family, Orihime, Chad, and Uryu, she had run into one of the hollows.

*flashback*  
 _  
Rukia took a deep breath of the human world's air. It was so refreshing! Suddenly, her soul pager beeped. There was a hollow nearby. She followed it's pressure until she found it, cowering under a bridge._

_It swung around once it sensed her._

_It let out a wail, and surprisingly, spoke out loud._

_"No! I just escaped... I can't go... don't make me go back to the Demon, or the Knight! I beg of you!"_

_Rukia raised her sword. "Who? Who is this Demon you speak of? Is it Aizen?"_

_"Aizen? No, the Demon is a far greater being! A strange half breed with his loyal arrancar, they kill for sport, and have taken over the whole menos forest. They strike fast, and without fear, slaughtering anyone in their way! They chase you through the darkness, just until you feel safe, then stab you in the back. Don't make me go back, please!"_

_It gave her no new information, so she cleansed it with her zanpakuto, before heading to her friend's house._

_A new threat? Greater than Aizen? It was crazy! Impossible! And yet... Rukia couldn't help but feel uneasy.  
_  
*Flashback end*

Rukia shook her head. _Someone_ had to look into this, but no one would listen. Even in her head, it was ridiculous. Something worse than Aizen? No one would take her seriously.

She pulled out her pager, and sent a message to her friends.

She would go to investigate. But she couldn't go alone.

_Meet me at Urahara's. Important. Expect to be gone for a while._


	8. Who's the New Top Hollow? Wait......... is that Ichigo...?!?

_Meet me at Urahara's. Important. Expect to be gone for a while._

_A few hours later..._

The whole gang was there, back where it all started. Well, almost the whole gang. Ichigo still hadn't returned. 

"Why did you call us here, Rukia?" Uryu asked.

"There's something evil growing in Hueco Mundo." she said. "Other than Aizen. Just this morning, I was following a hollow, and before I killed it, it said something about a demon who kills for sport. Now, I know it's not a very reliable source," she said quickly, seeing the expressions on her friend's faces, "But I thought it was strange, considering Aizen's silence. It would make sense that there wouldn't be an attack if some other being was attacking their army.

"I think we should investigate. And if we can see what Aizen's up to, even if there is not demon, wouldn't that make it worth the trip?"

The others nodded in agreement.

In a few minutes, the had a Garganta open, and were on their way to the desolate plains of Hueco Mundo.

"Remember- whatever you do, don't get separated." Rukia reminded everyone when the portal closed behind them.

They ran towards the giant structure in the distance- Las Noches.

"I can sense something..." Orihime said, closing her eyes. "There's a battle up ahead!"

They ran up to the crest of the dune, falling on their stomachs so they could watch without being seen.

A whole army of hollows had gathered, fighting one being in the middle.

The hollows piled onto it, trying to beat it down, but they were just thrown off. A giant shock wave blew them down, followed by an ominous black slash.

"So... Much... spiritual energy..." Chad muttered.

"It's gotta be at least an arrancar, maybe even among the Espada's ranks." Renji said.

Suddenly, the thing released its hold on its spiritual pressure, and everything in a mile radius had tons of weight pressed on them. 

All the weak hollows were crushed to death, eliminating three fifths of the hollows in a few seconds.

With the crowd thinned, they could see the being.

It was tall, and muscular, with pale skin like moonlight. It wore a black kimono, who's top had been ripped off so it looked more like a black skirt. 

Black tattoos made the hole in its pale chest more prominent. A mask covered it's whole face, decorated with red stripes that reminded them all of blood, and a pair of horns.

Long orange hair flowed down it's back.

A long black sword was in its hand.

All the sudden, a centaur-like hollow galloped by, her bottom half a majestic horse, her top half a female hollow with green hair, and an animal skull mask on the top of her head.

She speared hollow after hollow with her lance, till she was standing back to back with the orange-haired one. 

The humans and shinigami held their breath, expecting a brutal showdown between two powerful entities.

The two attacked, but not each other- much to the group's surprise. The rest of the hollows, who were struggling to get up after the crushing pressure of the Vasto Lorde 's spiritual energy, were cut down in seconds.

When the battlefield was empty, the two hollows changed. 

The Vasto Lorde shrunk a few inches, the ends of his hair turning into black energy, leaving him with back-length fur-like hair, which it tied up into a ponytail. The energy surrounded him, magically repairing his clothes, returning then to their original black kimono and sand colored cloak. Half of his mask cracked off, though they couldn't see his face because of the orange locks of hair seemingly cut to obscure the unmasked half.

The rest of the energy filed in the hollow hole in his chest, until it seemed like it had never been there in the first place.

The green haired centaur returned to a human form, wearing a tight fitting grey holster top and matching skirt.

As they stretched, pieces of their conversation reaching the Shinigami's ears.

"That was boring!" the girl complained. "I thought there were supposed to be strong opponents up here, not weak ones. They were almost weaker than the ones from the forest!"

"I know, they were rather pathetic. Honestly, though, I'm kinda surprised that some of them survived when I released my spiritual pressure. Next time, maybe we can try fighting one handed, with our less dominant hand? And blindfolded?" he sighed. "When we get the energy absorbing patches it'll be more of a challenge. If Shirogo ever decides to show up, that is..."

"Is that..." Rukia whispered. She squinted at the figure. It couldn't be... she was too deep in her thoughts, her control on her spiritual energy slipped. 

Any average Shinigami would have brushed it off as their imagination, but to a powerful Vasto Lorde ranked hollow, the split second of energy was like a flashing beacon and neon signs.

The orange haired hollow spun around, his hawk like eyes catching on the people hidden in the sand.

"Well, Neliel, it seems we might actually have something worth fighting hanging around." he said, in a loud voice.

The girl, Neliel, looked where her comrade was looking. "They're not hollows, what are they?" she mused.

The other shrugged. "Maybe they're defective arrancar, I don't see a mask."

"Whatever they are, they're still the enemy. Let's end this."

"Exactly my thought, Nel."

The two sprang into action, using a flash step to get to the four hidden people.

Orihime was the first to react- bringing up her barrier. Rukia and Renji were up next, swords at the ready. Uryu and Chad were last, powering up their weapons.

The hollow skidded to a stop when the barrier came up. He growled at the glowing yellow triangle. He jumped back a meter, surveying their enemies.

"They aren't hollows, Nel," he growled, sword out. "They're Shinigami. And human."

Nel scowled. "I feel like I should recognise them... but I've never been to the Human world, much less the Soul Society."

"Who cares, it'll be nice to have something unpredictable to fight." he said, sword at the ready.

He scanned the people's energy. "That one." he said, pointing to the black haired girl. "She has the strongest pressure. I want to fight her."

*  
**  
*

"I want to fight her." the hollow said, pointing to Rukia. She readied her sword. 

"Orihime, keep the barrier up. Don't get in the way."

"! You can't be serious!" Renji said, aghast. "You can't possibly be thinking about fighting that thing!"

"Shut up, Renji!" she snapped, making the redhead jump in surprise. Her eyes were filled with fire. "I know my limits. I know my powers. And you have no control over me."

Renji backed, looking ashamed.

Rukia approached the hollow, activating her shikai. 

She raised her sword to charge, but he was already behind her.

Blood spurted out of her chest.

_H-how? He's so fast, I couldn't see him move!_

She spun around, using her zanpakuto to freeze her wound.

"Pathetic. Is that ask you can do, Shinigami?" he said, sounding bored.

Rukia clenched her teeth. Up close, her suspicions were confined. He looked older, but it was definitely Ichigo.

He flashed by her, new injuries appearing on her body.

"And here I thought I would have a good fight..." Hollow-Ichigo said in a disappointed tone. "May I ask for your name? I'd like to remember the first Shinigami I've ever met."

Rukia's eyebrows furrowed. "You've met me before, don't you remember?"

Ichigo cocked his head, thinking. "Nope, I've never seen your face before. HEY!, NELIEL!" he shouted over his shoulder. The green haired arrancar used sonido, appearing next to them in an instant.

" _Nani_?" she asked.

Ichigo gestured to the ravenett. "You got a better memory than me, ever seen her before? She says she knows us."

Neliel squinted at the Soul Reaper. "Hmmm... no, I've never seen her before."

Rukia stamped her foot. "Ichigo Kurosaki! Quit playing arou-"

Before she could finish, both arrancar hissed, taking a step back. Ichigo's eye, which had been filled with a mild curiosity and boredom just seconds ago, was now a wall of suspicion.

Both of their weapons were out in a microsecond, Ichigo's giant butcher's knife at her neck.

The cold metal stung her skin as Rukia froze like ice. One move, and she could say _sayonara_ to her head.

Ichigo seethed. "How in Hades do you know that name?"

Rukia just looked at him in confusion. "...You're Ichigo Kurosaki, aren't you? Substitute Shinigami of Karakura town? Son of Isshin Kurosaki? Elder brother to Karin and Yuzu? Holder of the zanpakuto Zangetsu? You don't remember any of them?"

"I've never been to the Human World before, much less the Soul Society! Until today, I hadn't seen what Hueco Mundo's surface looked like!" Ichigo growled. "The only thing you got right was about Zangetsu-"

An arrow made out of reitsu shot past Rukia's ear, making an explosion in the sand.

When the dust cleared, Ichigo had teleported to a nearby pillar, a bow scarily similar to Uryu's in his hands.

The bow was was black and red, like his getsuga tensho. A handful of rapid fire arrows were shot, each arrow landing in a perfect line around the Uryu, Chad, Orihime, and Renji.

Rukia could hear Uryu's unbelief. After all, it's not everyday you see an old friend use a power thought to be extinct, except for himself.

"Nel! We're leaving." Ichigo ordered, his voice booming.

"Itsygo, they were probably afraid for their friend's life. You would do the same if I were in danger, wouldn't you?" Nel persuaded. "Let's hear them out. Then we can decide what to do, ok?"

Ichigo mulled it over, agreeing when he saw Nel's puppy eyes. "Fine..." he groaned.

Nel grinned, then shrunk into her baby form, grabbing onto Ichigo's shoulders.

"Yay! _Ikuyo_!" she exclaimed, her voice a lot more high pitched and childish.

Ichigo rolled his eyes, then flash stepped Rukia to her group.

"You have ten minutes. I'll listen to what you have to say, Shinigami." Ichigo said, sitting down on the ground criss cross, arms folded stubbornly.

Rukia nodded. "Ok, then." she said, ignoring everyone else's gaping faces. "Would you mind starting the timer after I catch my friends up to speed?"

"Go ahead."

" _Arigato._ So, long story short- this is Ichigo. He doesn't remember us." Ichigo opened his mouth to interject, but Rukia cut him off. "He'll tell his version of the story later." Ichigo scowled, not that they could see his expression.

"I'm trying to get him to remember." Rukia continued. "And you all are going to help. So, Ichigo, before we get started, the orange haired girl is Orihime, you were friends, the big one is Chad, you were very close friends, he's probably known you longest. Pineapple hair over here is Renji, he's a Soul Reaper, and you... get along. When you aren't bashing each other to bits. And the grumpy one is Uryu. He hates everyone."

"I do not!"

"Moving on- So you've been missing, presumed dead, for about five years. Actually, we came here because we heard rumors about a 'Black Demon' and an 'Emerald Knight' taking over Hueco Mundo. Do you happen to know...?"

Ichigo laughed, catching them all off guard. "So that's the rumor, then? Well, we ain't takin' over anything yet," He stretched his arms up over his head, folding them behind his neck.

"'Emerald Knight?' I like the sound of that," Nel said happily. "I'm not sure if 'Black Demon' suits you, though, Itsygo. I liked 'Hollow Hunter' better."

"Wait, hold up," Renji interjected. "First, Rukia, are you sure this nutcase is Kurosaki? I know five years is a while, but not long enough to alter his personality completely! And certainly not long enough to have his hair grown that long!"

Rukia grinned at him. "Oh? Is someone jealous?" she chirped. "Are you sad that your hair doesn't grow that fast? Aww!" she giggled, as Renji turned as red as his hair, sputtering.

"What, this?" Ichigo said, pointing to his mop of orange hair that obscured half his face and trailed to his waist, even when in a ponytail. "It's a side effect." he reached up, pulling the half-mask off his face.

It turned to black energy as he lifted it from his skin, as did several feet of hair. The energy was sucked into his sword, who glowed with the extra reishi.

Ichigo ran his fingers through his hair, getting used to the feel of not having twenty pounds of uselessness pulling on his skull. "Huh, that feels a lot better," he commented, not noticing their jaw-to-the-floor expressions.

Both girls tried to hide their nosebleeds.

He looked almost exactly like he had 5 years ago. Except hotter. His skin was perfectly tanned and toned, and his orange hair as just a few inches longer than it had been all those years ago. His honey eyes were soft now that they weren't the harsh black and yellow, and they could actually see both of them now. He ran his hand through his hair again, letting his left eye get used to the light after being covered by his bangs for years.

Not a second later, they felt his spiritual energy spike. If it had been crazy high before, now his retsu levels were impossible! It felt like standing next to an exploding sun. Even far away, they would feel it as if he were standing next to them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who wants to guess what happened? :3  
> I'll get the next chapter out tomorrow.
> 
> Oh, and Happy Easter Saturday!   
> Ꮚ(=^ ꈊ ^=)Ꮚ


	9. Why Would You Forget?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is a bit late!  
> Hope y'all had a good Easter!
> 
> Also, prepare for angst (≧▽≦)

"Well that was impressive," came a voice from above them. Sitting on a pillar behind the group was an albino Ichigo look alike.

"Yo, Shirogo, you're back," Ichigo said.

"And you finally took that ugly mask off."

Ichigo scowled. "Do you have the stuff?"

Shirogo held up a bag. "'Course I do."

"Shiro!" Nel shouted happily, waking up from her nap on Ichigo's shoulder. She jumped up at the pale man, shifting into her adult form in mid air, before crushing him in a painful and airtight hug.

Shirogo flailed his arms, trying to signal to Nel that he couldn't breathe with his face crushed against her chest. Nel didn't notice until he passed out a few seconds later.

"Oops," she laughed. " _Sumimasen_ , Shiro,"

He gasped for breath as he regained consciousness. "I got you the suppressors, King." he wheezed.

Ichigo grinned. "Great! Thanks a ton, Shirogo."

The clone gave him a thumbs up, then passed out.

Again.

Ichigo grabbed two wristbands from the bag.

He passed one to Nel, and they put them on. The results were instantaneous. Their energy was being rapidly absorbed by the bands, until they had a twentieth, maybe even a thirtieth, of their original pressure. Although they still had about the same spiritual pressure as a captain.

Ichigo grinned. "That's more like it!" He flexed his arm, then punched a hole through the pillar behind them. "Maybe now I'll actually be challenged when I'm fighting," he said happily.

"Yo, King," Shirogo was awake again. "Why ya hangin' with them? I thought you were ticked with this lot."

"Huh?" 

Rukia had to use all her self control not to laugh at his expression. Even now, he could make the most hilarious faces when he was confused. She could practically see the question marks popping up.

"Ah," Shirogo said awkwardly. "I mean, I must have mistook you for someone else, I've never seen you in my life!"

He laughed nervously.

Ichigo's eyes narrowed at the clone. "Spill." he ordered.

Shirogo sighed pulling a familiar silver object from his pocket. "You wiped your own memories." he stated with a blank expression.

Everyone around him gasped.

"I... Did?" his expression grew dark. "They must have been really crappy memories if I erased them all."

"If I'm remembering correctly, you specifically requested this memory stick from Urahara. It has the ability to wipe and replace memories, and the user is able to choose what the replacement memories will be. It also," he paused for a second, debating. He continued, "has the ability to show the memories."

Ichigo's head shot up. "It does?"

Shirogo nodded. "Be warned, everyone present will see them."

" _I'd like to see my memories, Shirogo._ " Ichigo said on a deadly voice. Everyone shuddered at his dark tone.

Shirogo nodded, then they were swept up in a stream of memories.

_Rukia had been captured, and Ichigo trained everyday for a month, from dawn until dusk, trying to master his power._

_He fought against anyone and everyone who got in his way._

_His heart filled with warmth, setting Rukia safe and sound._

_Then he discovered his Hollow powers. He spent most of his time in his room, barely finding a will to live._

_The Vizards came. They helped him find a reason to fight for. He trained to conquer his Hollow, so he would never hurt any of his friends._

_He practiced and trained, but he still felt uneasy- like the hollow was simply biding its time until he was weak and vulnerable._

_He made the decision._

_"...I'm a danger to everyone around me. At least in Hueco Mundo, the only thing I'll be able to hurt is myself and the Hollows. So I'm going to stay there until I have mastered my abilities." He told Urahara._

_He planned to stage his death once they got Orihime back. Convince his friends that he was gone so they would leave without him._

_Then he would train. And he wouldn't return until he had no doubt that he was in complete control._

_But things never go the way you plan._

_He used his hollow mask to convince Nel and her friends to help them, but in doing so, his comrades caught on._

_He tried to stay optimistic, but it was hard with the glaring judgmental eyes that watched his every moves._

_He thought he could endure the hateful gazes, and the constant guarded expressions on their faces._

_But he was wrong._

_"I'm sure we'd_ all _like to know what we're getting into-" Uryu said, his eyes filled with disgust._

_It was the straw that broke the camel's back._

_In a second of fury, he snapped, refusing to listen any more to what they had to say._

_He turned and ran to the front, where he wouldn't be judged for being a monster._

_But he could still hear what his so called 'friends' had to say._

_"We don't know what side effects this could include! He could turn into a hollow in the middle of the night and eat us in our sleep." came the voices. Even when he prepared himself for rejection, it stabbed through him like a dull knife, leaving a torn and bruised heart behind._

_Others agreeing with Uryu crushed him, beyond repair._

_But he couldn't help but pray that it was just the shock of the reveal that had them acting that way._

_When they fell down into the Menos Forest, it only shattered him more._

_"Whatever 'ability' he has will help him blend in with the rest of the hollows... He's probably already started searching for an exit without us, anyways... we'll run into him eventually... he can take care of himself... we need to focus on getting out of here first... if we go off to find him, we'll just get lost, and then we'll never escape!"_

_The echo of their words rang in his mind, his entire being drained of all emotion, leaving just the dull ache of a broken friendship._

_Surely, nothing would be worse than this._

_Again, fate and karma laughed in his face when Nel woke up._

_"Where...are we...? Where's ... Nel's friends...?" she asked, causing his heart to shatter into unfixable pieces._

_He couldn't bring himself to tell her that their friends had abandoned them._

_"We fell down the hole, and got seperated," Ichigo said, flinching guiltily at the white lie. "Don't worry, we'll find them... eventually. Until then, let's focus on getting stronger so we can get out of here."_

_The child swallowed the lie, falling asleep in Ichigo's arms._

_I swear,_ he vowed. _Nel will never have to know the feeling of being abandoned by the ones she trusted. I will never betray her._

**Unlike them.**

_They left, Ichigo's resolve to defeat his inner hollow stronger than ever before. His anger filled him, fueling him through weeks of no rest._

_Until finally, at long last, his Hollow submitted._

_"I will serve you, King." Shirogo said. "You have earned my respect."_

_Ichigo nodded. "I need you to do a task for me. Open a Garganta to Urahara Kisuke's shop. I need to get something from him."_

_After a few tries, they were back in the real world._

_"Yo, Kisuke," Ichigo called to the Shinigami._

_"I need something from you. Can you make me a memory wiper?"_

_Urahara looked at him curiously. "Of course, I gave a great selection of models-"_

_"No, I need it to have some... Special features."_

_"Oh?"_

_"First, I want to be able to choose what the rewrite memory will be. And second, I want it to be able to show the erased memories."_

_Kisuke thought. "An interesting request, Ichigo. Very well, I will create this device for you. Now don't come back until you get Inoue."_

_Ichigo agreed. He and Nel trained for weeks, destroying hollow after hollow after hollow, until they became known throughout the realm as the Hollow Hunters, or, more simply, the Hunters._

_When they were ready, they stormed Las Noches, killing everything in sight without basing an eye. Countless arrancar fell to their bloodied blades, and they even felled an Espada._

_The he hasn't realised how much he had strayed from his morals until Nel pointed out the presence of their ex comrades in the cells below them._

_When he heard, he as gleeful._

_He wanted them to **suffer** , as the had made him suffer. He wanted them to die in pain and agony- something sure to happen in Aizen's dungeons._

_"Should I get them?" Nel asked. "I'll be quick."_

_"No." Ichigo said sharply. It was than when he realized his low he had sunk. To wish pain and death on an old friend?_

_Guilt filled him._

_"I'll send Shirogo, it'll be faster." he said, summoning his clone and sending him to get them._

_When he saw them at the rondevu point, his blood boiled. It took all his self control not to attack them, whether with words or his sword._

_Ichigo sent than through the portal, back to their home._

__Their home. __

_His heart sunk at the thought. He didn't even consider the human world home any more._

_He waited for Shirogo to return._

_When the clone returned, and with the memory stick no less, he wiped his memories, choosing to leave his mind blank like a slate, leaving only the desire to wipe out the hollows, and Aizen._

_After, Nel followed Ichigo, wiping her own memories as well._

_*  
**  
*_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed!
> 
> Tomorrow I do have school, (hooray online school) so I don't know if I'll end up posting a chapter.
> 
> I'll probably post it Monday night, or some time Tuesday. MAYBE Wednesday if I forget.
> 
> Until then--
> 
> Do you want this to have an ending where Ichigo makes up with them, or one where he stays royally pissed off at them...?
> 
> If they reconcile, it's gonna be a IchiRuki (as I had originally intended) otherwise, there won't be a ship.
> 
> Or if you want try both endings I can add an alternate ending chapter
> 
> I'm just really bad at choosing one ending (^～^;)ゞ
> 
> Anywho, thanks so much for reading, I hope y'all have a magical day/night/whatever time it is for you :)
> 
> じゃあ！


	10. Now You've Done It. You've Pissed Him Off

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the rest of the angsty part!
> 
> :) 
> 
> I hope you enjoy

There was a silence once the memory ended. 

"Well that was a mistake," Ichigo said, his voice hard and cold. "I see why I would have wanted to erase those."

"Ichigo..." Rukia whispered, taking a step towards him.

But Ichigo pushed her away.

He turned to leave.

"Ichigo! Don't go!" Rukia cried, grabbing his arm.

Ichigo stopped.

Rukia looked up, hopeful.

"Get. Your hands. Off me."

His eyes were filled with fire and hatred.

"Ichigo..."

"Do you think," he growled, "That you could just come back here, and turn my life upside down again?"

There was fury in every syllable, his spiritual pressure rising.

"DID YOU THINK, THAT YOU COULD JUST WALTZ IN AND TO WHATEVER THE HECK YOU WANTED?! I had a life, maybe not an exciting one, but a normal one! Then you just show up, and tricked me into making another. My friends and family got hurt, because you Shinigami couldn't keep to yourselves! Then I have to shoulder _your_ burden. I had to rescue you from _your_ mistake, I had to protect a world I was forced into half blind! Then, oh my! Look at that! The Substitute Soul Reaper isn't like everyone else! And you toss me to the side like a broken toy." 

he took a breath, then continued his rant. 

"You say friendship is so important, and yet once you learn about something that's been there the whole time, but you were just too _blind_ to see it, you make assumptions and you run away! There's no understanding, there's no sympathy, or even pity. Once there's some _unknown variable_ , you just take off when I'm no longer useful to your cause, then come back begging when you need help. Well guess what? I'm through. I have been ever since you abandoned us. And I will be for the rest of eternity! So get your hands off me, Rukia Kuchiki. You all hurt me so bad, I completely erased all my memories. And you expect me to come back? You expect me to forgive you? After all this time? I got along fine without you for five years, and I'll get along fine without you for another millennia." he seethed.

His wrist band had fallen off, and his spiritual pressure was crushing everyone. 

Nel was the only one still standing.

"Ichigo... " Rukia tried to get up. "Renji... was right about one thing... Five years is a lot of time, yes, but it isn't enough to completely alter your personality. What happened to you?"

"What happened?" Ichigo threw his head up and laughed. It was a crazy laugh, like the cackle of a serial killer. When he looked back down at the Shinigami, he had a psycho look in his eyes. 

"What happened? You're asking me, I'LL TELL YOU WHAT HAPPENED, KUCHIKI! YOU TAKE ADVANTAGE OF MY CARE FOR MY FAMILY TO FORCE ME INTO BECOMING A SOUL REAPER. THEN I HAVE TO SAVE YOU WHEN YOU GOT CAUGHT. I HAVE PLAYED AS A PAWN IN THE SOUL SOCIETY'S WARS TOO MANY TIMES JUST TO BE THROWN ASIDE FROM THE VERY PEOPLE I TRUSTED TO HAVE MY BACK! You think five years isn't enough time to change your personality? Well think again. It just takes something small, and then the very people you helped climb the ladder will step on your fingers, letting you fall down. And the higher you climbed with them, the further you fall, the harder you land and the longer you have to curse them for watching you fall, and not helping you back up, like you had done so many times before for them.

"Now get out of my sight. I never want to see your faces again."

With that, he formed his hollow mask and sonidoed away with Nel and Shirogo.

The shell-shocked group left, an unspoken vow to never to speak of it again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well that was fun XD
> 
> Cya'll next chapter!


	11. Aizen Has Fallen, And Hueco Mundo Is Closed to Shinigami

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chap is a bit short, I'll get something longer next update.
> 
> I'm going to be editing the chapters I have written (I wrote the bulk of this story _ages_ ago, and towards the end, I had lost Inspiration, so the quality went down a bit (^～^;)ゞ  
> So it might take a bit longer to get something posted.)

Ichigo had made it clear that they would never be welcome in his presence, so, out of guilt, and shame, they forgot about him.

The next time anyone saw him was a year or two later, when he dropped Aizen's dead body in the center of the Sereite. 

"Aizen is dead," he said through his Vasto Lorde mask. His eyes glared down at the Shinigami.

"Shinigami are prohibited from entering Hueco Mundo by order of Las Noches' King- the Crimson Demon. Those who enter without permission will be killed by High Espada Neliel."

"I presume that you were the one who killed Aizen Sousuke?" Head Captain Yamamoto said.

The hollow nodded. "Yes."

"Why go through the trouble of killing him? Didn't you hollows follow him?"

The hollow have Yamamoto a bored look. "It was no trouble. He was simply the strongest being there, and the only one I could test my strength on without worrying about him dying in the first few minutes."

Yamamoto was shocked. "Why bring him here? Was it to-"

I garganta opened up, and an arrancar lept out.

"My Lord, High Espada Neliel has requested you." the nameless hollow announced.

"... Very well. I will be there shortly. Before I leave, however, I wish to make one thing clear; should Shinigami Rukia Kuchiki, Renji Abarai, or Quincy Uryu Ishida ever step foot in my dominion, they will be killed on sight, no matter the circumstances."

With that, he stepped through the garganta, and disappeared.

There was a silence.

Then...

"Rukia Kuchiki, Renji Abarai, what did you do?"


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Visiting the human world

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just wanna say- sorry for leaving y'all hanging for like.... 2 months.... I kinda forgot that I had been posting this fic here (^～^;)ゞ
> 
> Anyway, here's this chapter, hope u like it!

Ichigo entered the room.

It had been Aizen's throne room while he was in control, where he sat on his throne, plotting the demise of the Soul Society.

The green haired arrancar laid across the chair.

"Took you long enough, Itsygo." she said with a grin.

Ichigo pulled of his mask, smiling. "Sorry, sister, I didn't mean to make you wait."

He walked up the steps, placing a brotherly kiss on her forehead.

"Yeah, yeah, _nii-san_. But why'd ya go without me?"

" _Gomen, gomen_ ," he said. "I just wanted to get it over with."

"But I've never been to the Soul Society!" Nel pouted, but there as a sparkle in her eyes.

Ichigo sighed. He knew that she was only trying to guilt him into getting her something. "What do you want?" He asked with a resigned tone. 

Nel grinned. "I want to visit the human world."

"You WHAT!?" Ichigo sputtered.

"To visit the human world! I really want to meet you old family." 

"No! I can't just show up, there can't be two Ichigo's! Plus, I'd act a lot differently then however Kon's been acting." 

Nel's face fell. She looked down to the floor in defeat, shrinking down to her child-size.

"But... Don't you miss your sisters? I want to meet them! I wanna see my little sisters!" She begged, her wide eyes tearing up.

Ichigo's eyes softened. "Alright," he gave in with a sigh.

_Just one visit won't hurt. What could go wrong?_

" I'll contact Urahara and see if he can get us some gigai."

Ichigo was sorely regretting this.

His gigai looked nothing like him, although that was the point. After all, there couldn't be two Ichigo Kurosaki's walking around. 

His gigai looked 23 years old- which, Ichigo realized with a start, was how old he would be had he stayed in the human world.

The gigai was tall and lean, with stormy grey eyes and a scowl.

He didn't quite mind that as much as he thought he would. What really annoyed him was the standard black hair. He quite liked his orange mop of hair.

Unfortunately, it would be too conspicuous.

Nel, who had no ties to anyone in the human world, was given a gigai that looked almost exactly like herself. Which she rubbed in Ichigo's face a lot.

The two of them walked down the street that Ichigo used to live on.

"Who're you?" asked a short ravenett. 

"Oh, hello, there!" Nel said enthusiastically. "we were just coming to see the neighborhood! Chizaki and I were thinking about moving in!" 

Ichigo, now christened Chizaki, shot Nel a scowl behind her back.

"Well, the next door house is empty. The owners think it's haunted, you you can probably get it for cheap."

Nel grinned widely as Ichigo wanted to groan.

"Sweet! Well be moving in soon, then!" Nel said cheerily.

"N- Meli!" Ichigo hissed, using her cover name. "We can't buy a house we aren't going to stay in!"

Nel spun around, grabbing Ichigo's hands and jumping in excitement.

"It'll be our vacation house!"

It became their vacation house.

Although, they seemed to be on "vacation" more often than not.

Nel, 'Meli,' worked in a job that made her take many last minute trips across the country- sometimes even out of Japan.

And her cousin, Ichigo, 'Chizaki', was hoping to get some hands on experience as a doctor -which the Kurosaki Clinic was happy to help with.

At least, that was their alias.

In reality the two of them were just skipping out on their duties as the rulers of Las Noches.

"Hey, Meli, Chizaki, Yuzu made too much food, ya want some?" the loud raven haired girl yelled out her window.

Ichigo jumped, startled, then yelled back to the other house, "Yeah, sure, we'll be over in a minute, MELI!"

The green haired arrancar was already letting herself into the Kurosaki house.

Ichigo rolled his eyes.

It had been several months since they had moved into their 'vacation home.'

In that time, the two of them had grown close to the Kurosaki family.

They were as rambunctious as always, and as loud and annoying as ever, but Ichigo couldn't help but smile on the inside when he was with them.

It was like he was home again, as if he had never been away.

"Chizaki, c'mon! We're about to eat!" Karin yelled from the other house.

Ichigo allowed himself a rare smile. "Coming! I was just putting away my stuff..."

They ate dinner together again, then the two excused themselves to bed.

The last thought on Ichigo's mind before he fell into sleep's arms made him smile, a soft, genuine, content smile, for the first time, in a long time.

_Finally_

_We're home.  
_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!!!
> 
> So.....
> 
> I know this sounds like an ending, but technically I still have a few more chapters...
> 
> SO
> 
> if u think this is a good ending, great!
> 
> I'll eventually get around to posting the next chapters, which will be IchiRuki and reconciliation between Ichi and his ex friends.
> 
> (Personally, I think the IchiRuki arc [idk what else to call it] is a bit meh but I hope u enjoy it when I post it)


	13. Mending, parts 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm baaaaack   
> 😅😅 I forgot I hadn't finished posting all of this
> 
> Anyway, I'm hoping to finish posting the last chapters soon
> 
> So this is when it starts turning IchiRuki  
> (I might end up rewriting a few of the later chapters so they're less cringy, so I apologise in advance if it takes me forever)

The next day, Ichigo and Nel woke to the usually out-of-commission Kurosaki household up and about.

"Yo, Isshin! Whatcha doin'? You aren't normally up this early." Ichigo said with a yawn, still dressed in his pjs.

Mister Kurosaki looked up to his neighbor's window. "Oh, sorry, Chizaki! Didn't mean to wake you!" he smiled, but ichigo could tell it was forced.

"Hey- old man! I got the food, where's the basket?" Karin called with her loud, bossy voice. 

"Ohayogozaimasu, Karin." Ichigo said. "What're you up to?"

Karin looked at her shoes, silent for once. "It's the anniversary," she explained, with a trembling voice. "Six years ago today, my brother disappeared."

She wiped tears from her eyes, as her father continued.

"He was 16. Brilliant boy, that kid. Gifted. Selfless. He'd give his own life for his friends a million times over. We'd gotten used to him disappearing randomly- he did it quite often. But this time... He didn't come back."

Ichigo watched in shock as his dad furiously tried to hold back tears.

"I-I'm sorry for your loss," he stuttered.

"You kinda remind me of him," Isshin said. "You got the same aura. You put on a show of grumpiness, but inside you're a real softie." he smiled at a warm memory. "His name was Ichigo. Ichigo Kurosaki."

There was a moment of silence. 

Then, 

"Well, Chizaki, if you're not busy, would you two like to join us?"

The question caught Ichigo off guard. "Huh?"

"We're having a picnic after we pay our respects to his shrine," Yuzu said, coming out with a familiar picnic basket. The same one they had used when visiting their mother's shrine.

"We can come," Nel said, popping her head out the window, scaring the crap out of Ichigo. "We'll be down in a few minutes!"

A few minutes later, the five of them were walking down to the cemetery.

They paid their respects, then walked to a nearby park to have lunch.

_"Itadakimasu!"_

They dug into their meal, eating in silence.

Then, someone rushed out of the nearby woods, into the clearing, stopping by the blanket.

 _"Gomennasai!"_ the out of breath lady said, huffing and puffing. "Sorry I'm late!"

Isshian grinned. "Ah! Rukia, my dearest adopted daughter, we missed you!" he laughed, going to hug her.

They embraced for a few moments, then separated.

Rukia was as short as ever- although she had grown a bit since he had seen her last. Her hair was less of a mess, and she was slightly taller- but still miles shorter than him. The only real thing that changed was that she looked older.

One look at her, and Ichigo could feel old feelings of anger seething inside him.

The ravenette bowed to the sisters and to Ichigo.

"I've never bet you before. I'm Rukia Kuchiki, a friend of the Kurosaki's. And you are...?"

"Oh! Rukia, daughter, this is our neighbor, Chizaki, and his cousin Meli. We invited them to join us today."

Rukia smiled at them, bowing. "Chizaki-san, Meli-san, it's an honor to meet you. Any friend of the Kurosaki's is a friend of mine."

Ichigo stayed silent.

"Kuchiki-san, how did you know Ichigo?" Meli asked.

"Rukia is fine." she said. "Ichigo and I... we worked together for a few years. He was quite extraordinary at his job. He could have gone straight to the top. Always got along with his coworkers- in the end at least. He was a great person." her eyes filled with tears.

Isshin put a hand on her shoulder. "Come on, you need a walk," he said gently, steering her away from the blanket.

Ichigo watched them go. "I'm going to use the bathroom," he said, using it as an excuse to follow them.

Isshin and Rukia didn't stop walking until they were out of the other's sight, down by a clump of trees.

Ichigo hid behind a couple, close enough that he could eavesdrop, but far enough not to get caught.

He watched and listened.

"It's all my fault," Rukia was sobbing, collapsed on the ground. "It was my fault, and i'll never be able to right the wrong,"

"Shh, it wasn't your fault," Isshin comforted, kneeling down next to her.

"It was! Is! It's all my fault... I couldn't convince the others that he was perfectly fine, and they pushed him away. I- I, it's my fault. If I hadn't gone, or if Renji and I had gotten there later, or if I had been brave enough to stand up for him... maybe he would still be here. He wouldn't have left."

"Hey, it's ok, you did what you could at the time. You can't change the past, so stop dwelling on it."

Rukia pushed him away. "But everything would be different, everything would be better! You should hate me. I was part of the reason that made your only son leave. And now he's somewhere in Huako Mundo, we don't even know if he's dead or alive!"

"Rukia," his voice was firm, but gentle at the same time. "It's been six years. You can't keep living six years in the past. Urahara said he had been planning to leave anyway to better control his inner hollow. We all know Ichigo is stubborn- even if you all had reacted perfectly to his hollow, he would have stayed. His sense of honor and protection would have kept him there until he was positive he would never be a threat to his friends.

"Don't get me wrong- I'm sad that he felt the need to leave. I truly am. But he chose that path- a path Fate itself couldn't pull him away from. So learn. Learn from your mistakes, and use it to become better.

"After all, you were Ichigo's best friend in the Shinigami world. Probably the only one he'd ever loved."

Rukia blushed, but shook her head in denial. "No, he wouldn't love me. I was just a friend to him... He'd be more likely to love Orihime. She's perfect for him. Kind, optimistic, beautiful. There's no way on earth that idiot would fall for me, especially when she's standing right there, practically handing him her heart every time they meet."

Isshin sighed. "Yeah, yeah. I wish you had told him how you felt before he left, though... Just remember this- I call you my dearest adopted daughter for a reason."

Rukia smiled softly. "Thanks, Mister Kurosaki,"

"Let's go back to the others,"

She nodded in response, and they left.

Ichigo barely made it back before them.

They continued to eat in peace.

All too soon, the sun was setting.

"Oi, Kuchiki," Ichigo said, on impulse. "You're not bad to hang out with, ya should come over more."

Rukia looked at him in surprise. "Oh, um, I come here from time to time," she said. "I'll drop by if I have time," she smiled- a real genuine smile of happiness- and left.

Ichigo couldn't help but smile after her.

"Oooooh!" came his teasing sister. "SOMEone's got a crush,"

"Huh?! I do not! Stop spreading rumors, Karin!" he snapped, a faint red tinge in his cheeks.

Karin snorted. "Not a crush, my butt. I know what I'm talking about, kid. You like her, but you just don't want to admit it. I have someone, and i used to act the same way. We would be together, and everyone would mistake us for a couple, no matter how much we denied it. Thinking back... it was actually an accident that got us together..."

Ichigo looked at her, unsure of her story. "You're dating someone? I haven't seen anyone around your house at all! And I'm not a kid! I'm older than you!"

Karin snorted what sounded like a 'whatever' then smiled. "Oh, yeah. Shiro just doesn't like new people much. He tries to avoid most people as much as possible."

Ichigo narrowed his eyes. Shiro...? It sounded familiar....

"So his name's Shiro?"

Karin snickered. "No, he despises that nickname. His actual name is Toshiro Hitsugaya, but I call him Shiro to annoy him."

Ichigo nodded, perfectly calm on the outside. But on the inside, raging alarm bells screamed. _His sister?? With that icy old soul reaper?? If he hurts her, I will rip his arms off and eat them._ He swore.

"Chizaki!" Karin smacked him over the head.

Ichigo yelped and glared down at the 17 year old. "What was that for?!"

"You were spacing out. Anyway, Rukia'll be around tomorrow. She usually stays in this area, wandering around."

Ichigo nodded. She was a Shinigami, after all. And there are still Hollows that escape from Huako Mundo, the Soul Society probably posts them out here to take care of any runaways.

"Well, 'night, Chizaki."

"Night."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank youuuuuu for reading!


End file.
